{"id":3842366,"url":"https://alion.io/job/cdds-business-development-manager","title":"Business Development Manager","company":{"id":670217,"name":"CDDS","domain":"cdds.ai","url":"https://alion.io/company/cdds","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Join","truth_index":null},"role":"Management","role_family":"Management","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Zurich, Switzerland"],"countries":["CH"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":2,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-05T19:46:59Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-05","last_verified_at":"2026-11-07T02:16:40Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":1,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":1},"description":"Do you want to contribute to Western resilience? Do you want to protect people and critical infrastructure - ultimately saving lives?\nDo you want to work at the frontier of high-performance autonomous systems?\nJoin us at CDDS to bring high-speed kinetic interceptor drones into the hands of armed forces, law enforcement agencies, and critical infrastructure operators.\nCDDS specialises in developing low-collateral kinetic interceptors designed to neutralise malicious drones (Mavic drones, FPV racing drones, and fast fixed-wing drones). Our solutions are built for precision and safety, minimising risk to the surrounding area while effectively countering unauthorised or threatening unmanned aerial systems. We work at the cutting edge of counter-drone technology, delivering reliable protection for critical assets and environments.\nYour Mission\nWe are looking for a Business Development Manager to help grow CDDS's business from Switzerland across selected European and global markets. Your main focus will be identifying prospective customers and partners, opening new conversations, qualifying leads, and turning early interest into well-defined opportunities. Working closely with our engineering, product, operations, and leadership teams, you will connect customer needs with CDDS's capabilities and help build a strong, sustainable commercial pipeline.\nWhat You'll Do\nHelp grow CDDS's business in selected European and global markets by building a healthy pipeline of prospective customers and partners.\n\nResearch and identify relevant organisations, programmes, decision-makers, and potential partners across defence, law enforcement, critical infrastructure, and the wider security ecosystem.\n\nGenerate and qualify leads through targeted outreach, procurement monitoring, referrals, industry networks, events, and inbound enquiries.\n\nConduct initial discovery conversations to understand customer needs, stakeholders, timelines, budgets, and next steps, and document clear qualification criteria.\n\nBuild trusted relationships with prospective customers and partners, maintain regular follow-up, and create momentum from first contact to active opportunity.\n\nKeep CRM records, lead statuses, contact information, and follow-up actions accurate and current, providing clear visibility of the developing pipeline.\n\nCoordinate customer meetings, demonstrations, and events with engineering, product, and operations teams, prepare relevant commercial materials, and manage follow-up actions.\n\nSupport responses to requests for information, proposals, and public tenders by coordinating inputs and ensuring opportunities continue to progress.\n\nWork with leadership to prioritise qualified opportunities and support them through trials, proposals, contract discussions, and handover to delivery teams.\n\nWhat You Bring\n2+ years of experience in business development, sales, partnerships, market development, or a related customer-facing role, ideally in defence, security, public-sector technology, or another technical B2B environment.\n\nDemonstrated ability to identify prospects, conduct outreach, build relationships, and convert early conversations into qualified opportunities.\n\nStrong research and commercial curiosity, with the ability to understand an organisation, identify relevant stakeholders, and recognise where CDDS can create value.\n\nConfident communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain technical capabilities in clear customer and operational terms.\n\nProfessional proficiency in English.\n\nA structured approach to CRM, follow-up, prioritisation, and pipeline management, with attention to detail and reliable execution.\n\nA proactive, hands-on mindset and the ability to collaborate effectively with technical and operational colleagues in a fast-moving startup.\n\nBased in Switzerland with eligibility to work in Switzerland and availability to travel regularly for customer meetings, demonstrations, and events.\n\nNice to have\nPrevious experience with UAS, counter-UAS, autonomous systems, air defence, or related defence and security technologies.\n\nExperience working with armed forces, law enforcement agencies, critical infrastructure operators, government customers, or defence and security partners.\n\nFamiliarity with European defence and public-sector ecosystems, procurement processes, or industry networks.\n\nExperience in a startup or scale-up environment, or in bringing an emerging technical product to new customers and markets.\n\nBenefits\nWhy CDDS\nDirect impact on a mission-critical technology shaping Europe's security landscape\n\nFast-moving startup environment with high ownership\n\nWork with a highly technical, ambitious, and hands-on team\n\nReal-world testing, deployments, and customer demonstrations\n\nAttractive compensation\n\nDetails\nLocation: Zurich, on site\nStart date: ASAP\nEnvironment: High-impact deep-tech startup working on real 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